Why Nintendo needs its first-ever smartphone game to be a home run

The mobile initiative is a big change in Nintendo's
overall strategy. The Japanese game company long-avoided mobile
gaming, focusing on its own console and handheld devices
instead.

But it's also a necessary move, given Nintendo's plummeting
software sales over the years. As this chart by Statista shows, Nintendo's
software sales in both console and handheld devices saw sharp
declines since 2009, when it sold almost 200 million units
worldwide. This year, it's expected to sell less than 50 million
units in both categories.